The M.A.P.S. technology used for the first time in Scythe Mugen 2 cooler was again implemented in the new solution from the Japanese manufacturer. Was this implementation a success or not? Let’s find out from our en review!

Conclusion

Of course, none of the real Japanese samurai warriors could ever imagine what would be called “Kabuto” these days. However, overclocking fans shouldn’t worry about it. It is Scythe’s competitors who should be concerned, because the new Scythe Kabuto cooler we tested today proved extremely efficient and pretty quiet at the same time. If we compare Kabuto with SI-128 SE, the former will offer the same efficiency at a much lower price, comes with a fan, is compatible with all existing platforms, boasts ideally even mirror-shining base surface and is installed in a much easier manner. As for the clip-retention for LGA1366 platforms, we cannot complain about bending of the PCB anymore, because there is a default backplate on all LGA1366 boards (that is why we didn’t benefit much from using the Mugen 2 screw-retention). However, it still remains an issue for LGA775 platforms.

The only drawback that we can find about Scythe Kabuto is the absence of grooves in the base plate that could ensure better contact with the heatpipes. However, there is one more thing we would like to say at this point. What if they designed a tower-cooler using the Kabuto heatsink concept? Just take two Kabuto heatsinks and install a 120-mm fan between them. The length and width of this cooler will be 120 and 129 mm respectively, but the effective surface of the new “Kabuto Tower” solution will double and the fan will work way more effectively than on Mugen 2. Moreover, I don’t think they will have to upgrade their production lines in order to manufacture the new cooler, because all they will need to do is take two Kabuto heatsinks, throw six heatpipes into the base plate and insert a fan between two parts of the heatsink. I really hope that Scythe engineers will at least consider this suggestion, because theoretically, a new cooler like that seems very interesting.

P.S.: As we found out from a small comparative fan testing, SilenX iXtrema Pro fans do not suit too well for the reference IFX-14, especially at low rotation speeds. They lose about 3-4°C under maximum CPU load to the Enermax Magma fans at 930RPM that we used before. Things get a little better at maximum fan rotation speeds, but again not in SilenX iXtrema Pro’s favor. Anyway, stay tuned for a big fan shoot-out we are preparing for you next, and trust me there will be a lot to choose from there.